Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell spoke Thursday about a topic that he has not had to address in 11-plus seasons. Season tickets at Jim Patterson Stadium went on sale Thursday.

The Cards will sell season tickets for $150 and single-game tickets for $10 for the first time to respond to the rise of the program over the past decade.

“It comes down to the demand from the fans,” McDonnell said. “It’s exciting because the fan base has continued to grow every year. They’ve been very loyal, very supportive.”

The change has been in the works for years. McDonnell said U of L considered charging for tickets when it joined the ACC for the 2015 season. But the program decided to wait and see how the team did in its new conference.

After four College World Series trips and nine NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 years, the Cards will begin the new program.

“This is probably a little overdue, if not long overdue,” McDonnell said. “But Tom Jurich wanted to give to the fans, and for 12 years he gave to the fans, and now he’s answering the fans.”

McDonnell pointed to the discrepancy between U of L and the rest of the highly competitive ACC. Reserved seating helps the Cardinals keep their fans in the best seats, ending a period that was a point of pride for the program.

“To me, it was special that we had free admission,” McDonnell said. “Twelve years, Jim Patterson Stadium, you got to come and go, and fans took advantage of that. And now it’s a different time. Yes, the fans have spoken, and they want to pay for their seat.”

Louisville has charged in the past for home NCAA Tournament games and matchups with high-demand opponents such as Kentucky, and fans have come out.

“Everything is lined up, where the fans know what they’re going to get,” McDonnell said. “Great competition’s coming in, and we’ve just to keep doing what we’re doing. Schedule good opponents, and then try to play at a high level.”